Messi’s Argentina faces Spain in World Cup final
Sports analyst Dan Dakich previews the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, highlighting the leadership of Lionel Messi. Dakich predicts Argentina will win, praising Messi’s consistent greatness. The discussion then turns to WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called a “political football” amid controversies over physical play. Dakich attributes some problems to jealousy and envy among WNBA players.
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And like that, it all comes down to Spain and Argentina.
The two soccer powerhouses will look to etch their names in the history books and become World Cup champions when they play Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
Argentina has the opportunity to become the first consecutive World Cup winners since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and only the third country to win back-to-back overall titles. Italy first won the World Cup consecutively in 1934 and 1938.
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(Left) Lionel Messi (10) of Argentina reacts during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Georgia on July 15, 2026. (Right) Lamine Yamal (19) of Spain reacts during warm-ups before the World Cup 16 soccer match between Portugal and Spain in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas on July 6 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo; Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
However, for a long time in Argentina’s semi-final against England, it didn’t look like Argentina was going to have a chance to make history. The Three Lions kept Argentina off the scoresheet for 85 minutes, but Lionel Messi sparked another electrifying come-from-behind victory.
Anthony Gordon started the scoring when he buried a Morgan Rogers cross to put England first on the board in the 55th minute with an acrobatic finish. Harry Kane sparked the counter with a long pass that left the Argentina defense baffled for the first time in the match.
However, this would end up being the only real scoring opportunity of the match for the Three Lions. After England got on the board, Argentina’s pressure was relentless, but England managed to hold off the Argentine attack for around 30 minutes.
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Enzo Fernandez of Argentina celebrates his goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo agency/Getty Images)
They finally broke through when Messi set up Enzo Fernandez just outside the penalty area, and the 25-year-old fired a shot around England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the back of the net to equalize at 1-1.
Lautaro Martinez then played the hero by coming off the bench and making Argentine football history by scoring the winner in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Messi recorded his second assist after collecting a loose ball and making a beautiful pass into the penalty area, where Martinez was waiting unmarked. Martinez headed the ball past Pickford to send the Argentina fans into a frenzy as they completed the comeback.
It wasn’t Argentina’s first remarkable comeback in its title run. In the round of 16, they scored three goals in 13 minutes to erase a 2–0 second-half deficit against Egypt and keep their World Cup hopes alive.
How to watch France vs Spain: Live stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals
For Spain, their run was not as spectacular, but they were still remarkably dominant.
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Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates after converting a penalty to score his team’s first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
They shut out their opponents in six of their seven matches and allowed just one goal throughout the tournament. Belgium was the only country to break through against Spain, but the Spaniards beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Against France in the semi-final, Spain took advantage of an early mistake and never looked back.
Veteran French defender Lucas Digne misread the ball and contested a ball on a cross, but instead kicked Lamine Yamal, committing a foul and giving Spain a penalty in the 22nd minute.
Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up for Spain and buried the penalty, giving the Spaniards a lead they would not relinquish.
Pedro Porro doubled the lead for Spain in the 58th minute, when he broke through the French defense and found the back of the net after beating French goalkeeper Mike Maignan from a neat pass from Dani Olmo.
The French desperately tried to get back into the match, but the Spanish defense was too strong for them to break through and held on for victory.
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Spain’s Pedro Porro celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, July 14, 2026. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
When: Sunday July 19, 2026
Or: New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: FOX
Flow: Watch on FOX One and FOX Sports
